You are the Pilot of a Spaceship

You are the pilot of a spaceship. All systems are failing with no chance for recovery. You, and all souls aboard, are going to disintegrate in a crash and explosion. There is no hope for escape or survival. Everyone will die.

Do you tell the 300 passengers you’re carrying of their impending deaths or not?

David,
i was thinking longer, like days or months. and considering it’s a spaceship there’s a chance to have gotten to know at least a few people for however long we’ve been flying.
if it’s imminent, i’d tell everyone. but if all 300 passengers were strangers to each other as well, (i’d assume then that everyone was in their own cell and there was no socializing) i wouldn’t bother telling anyone.

Dananjay —
Right. You’re hauling strangers in the future. We’re using a spaceship to distance ourselves from the immediate and awful airplane incidents we’ve been reading about lately in the news to try to take the discussion into a more philosophical — instead of emotional — realm for examination of values and valuing.
An hour ago a small plane took off in Las Vegas and crashed into a home. The pilot is dead and so are two people inside the house.http://www.lasvegasnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=8883721&nav=menu102_2

If the line is there, Dananjay, it isn’t drawn in the same realm for everyone — and if I’m in my truth and you’re in your reality — that doesn’t mean we’re talking about the same thing or even tempting the same line.

I wouldn’t tell them, except if I happened to know there were any people who believed in saying certain last rite prayers to prepare for death – I guess they would want it. For everyone else it would be pretty pointless and just make things worse. May as well enjoy the short time you have left on the ship.

That’s interesting analysis, Gordon. How would you ever know which of the 300 strangers wanted to say a final prayer? Would you make an announcement?
“For those of you who would like to say a prayer before dying, you have 5 minutes — for the rest of you, never mind.”
I think the greatest risk in saying anything is the panic and the possible mutiny that would surely take place. I don’t even think suggesting something was wrong would have any benefit if there’s really no way out…

Perhaps I would make an additional announcement, stating that there was a sick passenger that requested that passengers pray on his behalf, and that anyone who wished to do that could do it in room xyz. Anyone who would want to pray on behalf of someone can live with the news that they are the ones who will need the prayer the most. Something like that.

Two lies, actually. I’m lying about the evening prayers (there are prayers every night as well as in the morning and afternoon but I have other reasons for calling those passengers) and the lie about the sick passenger – but yes, there is a greater truth being served. Maybe I could consider myself sick for thinking of these lies and therefore make it true! 🙂

Wow, I missed a lot!
I think as this is a spaceship there will always be a warning about potential danger before the journey starts.
If it’s a team of 300 people boarded in the space ship know each other – I will announce the news. Because 300 people together will be able to handle anything – good, bad or ugly. We never know, may be even a unique contingency plan can come up. If not anything – there will be the strength of being together.
If we are complete strangers, I will definitely not declare it and scare everybody. The bonding among 300 passengers will not happen in a minute – and as a leader I will not even take the chance.
Let the “last minute” come unannounced.

I appreciate your analysis, Katha, and yes — on a spaceship with 300 strangers there is a great risk of tremendous terror before meeting a final end. I can see the wisdom in sparing people from that final, unavoidable end.
Now the question becomes… as the pilot… do you send home a final farewell to your beloveds back home? Or do you choose to actively suffer the same fate as those aboard your ship: No goodbyes, no last word… just eternal darkness with no resolution?

Ok, this is tough David…especially on a birthday morning!
I don’t think I will take the chance to say the final “goodbye” to my loved ones, but I might call them to say “hello” – just like that.
At least I will be able to listen to their voice for the last time and they will enjoy mine.
Why torture them with the inevitable beforehand? The moment I stepped into the spaceship my beloveds knew about the possible threat…why torture them announcing it?

Happy Birthday, Katha!
That’s a curious take on the matter! It’s a question about power and prescience — you have knowledge of the crash that no one else knows and do you use that information to further you final end or do you vow to stay in the same last-moment darkness of those you are carrying in your ship…

Thanks for the wish David!
I know it’s different!
I don’t want to spoil my loved one’s happiness – I want my last moments to be happy too.
All I want to hear is their voice for the last time – as cheerful as always!
There is nothing they can do to save the ship – so, what’s the point?
Better to save them from the inevitable pain for a few more moments!

Oh, well David…I am the only one in the spaceship who is overwhelingly burdened with the news of our impending death – so I think I can take this little opportunity just to die peacefully – I guess!
Cheating…?
I will call it de-stressing…

Well David, I had to make a choice!
I can’t satisfy 300 passengers and my guts at the same time, satisfying 300 passengers in a lifetime is just absolutely out of question – I won’t even go there.
What would you do?